TAMPA — As Dominic Smith met with Dr. Steven Shin on the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles early final 12 months, all of the ache he had skilled started to make sense.
Smith, a non-roster invitee with the Yankees, had been bothered by his proper hand for the earlier 4 or 5 years. He performed by way of soreness, taped himself up and used a wrist widget to restrict his hand’s motion. The fixed care didn’t forestall the veteran from breaking his hamate bone on a reside batting apply swing in January 2024, although.
He underwent surgical procedure just a few weeks later.
A Met from 2017-2022, Smith totaled 32 homers, 125 RBI and a .787 OPS from 2019-2021. He’s performed only one full huge league season since that stretch, although, falling out of favor with the Queens membership earlier than becoming a member of the Nationals, Cubs, Rays, Crimson Sox and Reds. The final 4 groups all employed Smith final season as he tried to bounce again from surgical procedure and continued remedy, although he solely reached the majors with Boston and Cincinnati.
Now Smith says his hand is totally wholesome for the primary time shortly. The clear invoice has coincided with a productive spring, giving the primary baseman an actual probability to make the Yankees’ Opening Day roster as a bench and DH choice with Giancarlo Stanton and DJ LeMahieu injured.
Smith, 29, entered Thursday hitting .297/.289/.857 with three dwelling runs and 12 RBI this spring.
“They say your best ability is availability,” Smith mentioned. “Just to be fully healthy is huge. It makes a difference out on the field. It makes a difference with your confidence in the box.
“To have that in the back of your mind every at-bat because you know the pain you feel with each swing, it takes away some of your aggressiveness and some of your power. So I’m just happy that I’m feeling like myself again.”
Smith mentioned he by no means made a giant deal about his hand previous to surgical procedure, as each crew has gamers grinding by way of varied aches. He felt comfy discussing it now as a result of he believes the difficulty is really behind him.
As for what’s in entrance of him?
The long run may embrace a return to New York, the place Smith loved the perfect years of his profession. He’d actually welcome that.
“I’m so excited for it if it comes,” Smith mentioned. “It’s out of my control, but just the initial opportunity to come here and play for spring training and compete for a job, it’s every child’s dream to wear these pinstripes. There’s no bigger market, no bigger city, no bigger fanbase, no higher stage, and that’s what we live for.
“To come back, I’m just very thankful and very, very, very excited.”
Smith added that he’d like to assist the Yankees win a championship after they fell quick final 12 months. He’d additionally like to stay in a clubhouse the place there are many acquainted faces.
He already knew Luis Rojas, Pat Roessler and Marcus Stroman from their time with the Mets. Smith was additionally accustomed to Jazz Chisholm Jr., Devin Williams, Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Decide and Mark Leiter Jr. earlier than signing, and he’s loved attending to know Aaron Boone and James Rowson.
Like most seasoned NRIs, Smith has an decide out deadline approaching, however neither he nor his agent knew the precise date off the tops of their heads. Smith simply knew it overlapped with the previous couple of days of spring coaching, which is beginning to wind down.
For now, Smith isn’t worrying about that. As a substitute, he’s targeted on cracking the Yankees’ roster.
“Whatever decision they make,” Smith mentioned, “I’m just happy that I was able to come here and put on a Yankee uniform and show them what I can do.”
